By Bailey Buckingham

A proposed roundabout at the intersection of FM 1626 and Dorman could be on the horizon after the Kyle City Council approved a resolution Tuesday allowing City Manager Scott Sellers to involve the Texas Department of Transportation in the conversation. 

Council approved the resolution, which showed support of future conversations involving a roundabout, by a 5-1 vote. District 6 council member Daphne Tenorio casting the lone dissenting vote, while council member Becky Selbera was absent.  

Sellers presented the proposal to council with the intention of getting approval to begin discussions with TxDOT regarding the potential roundabout.  

Sellers said TxDOT had mentioned to him, but did not guarantee, that if council wanted to move forward with the roundabout, TxDOT could be able to come up with funding for the project. 

Tenorio, however, voiced opposition due to her concern over safety reasons. Tenorio said plans are being made based on larger cities and not what is best for Kyle. 

“I can’t support this,” Tenorio said. “This is Austin, not Kyle. Let’s make decisions based on Kyle.” 

Tenorio also recommended that residents have a chance to comment on the proposal, as it will directly affect residents.

James Earp, Kyle assistant city manager, presented Tenorio with data showing a significant decrease in accidents and fatalities when traffic signals were converted to roundabouts. 

In locations that were converted to roundabouts, there was a 35 percent decrease in crashes and a 90 percent decrease in fatalities, Earp said. 

Travis Mitchell, Kyle district 1 council member, said while he is 100 percent onboard with roundabouts, he is concerned about the speed limit. 

Earp said the speed limit will be determined by how the structure is designed. 

A motion was made by Shane Arabie, district 3, to show their support of future conversations involving a roundabout at FM1626 and Dorman. A second to the motion was made by Damon Fogley, mayor pro tem.